


It's All Fun and Games

by raptormoon



Series: Hope is a Cheap Thing [1]
Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Call the tooth fairy, Fluff, Gen, Maui can be a good parent, Sweet, Young!Tamatoa, sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-12-03 11:29:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11531298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raptormoon/pseuds/raptormoon
Summary: Tamatoa hasn't always been a giant, angry monster crab. He was a tiny little thing, once!A collection of short fics way, way, way pre-movie.(Nota shippy fic!)





	1. Looking For Treasure

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, vacation! Perfect time to write!
> 
> This is a collection of very short stories giving glimpses into Maui and Tamatoa's shared early history. And I do mean early!
> 
> It is also a prequel, of sorts, to an actual plot-driven story that I'm currently working on.
> 
> I take no responsibility for the loss of any teeth while reading these.

“Maui! Let’s play!” Tamatoa’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Maui chuckled as he continued patching the sail.

“Just a few more minutes, buddy….” He knew what larking around with Tamatoa was like, and once he gave the tiny little crab his full attention, it would be hours until they stopped. Finishing this patch job should only take a few more minutes, and while there was still daylight would be best.

Silence reigned for a whole three heartbeats.

“Are you done now? Let’s go play!”

“Not yet, little guy….” But Maui did start moving faster.

“Grrrr!” Tamatoa growled, clicking his pincers in impatience. Maui couldn’t help but chuckle, it was awfully cute when the very small monster tried to be fearsome. At least, that’s what Maui thought Tamatoa was doing. The young crab wasn’t any good at explaining himself, when he bothered to try.

Another three heartbeats….

“Can I help?” Tamatoa asked, and he skirted around Maui to climb the mast, watching Maui work from a different angle.

“You can keep me company!” Maui responded. He kept his tone cheerful, but knew that this sail had to be repaired  _ quickly _ or there was going to be a meltdown soon.

“Maui!” Tamatoa sing-songed, as though calling him out on a joke. “That’s not helping!”

This time, Maui didn’t answer. Almost, almost, just a few more stitches… knot…

“ _ Maui!!!” _

“Done!” he exclaimed. Holding his hands up and away from the sail, he dropped the awl to dangle by the thread. That could be retrieved easily later. Wasn’t worth the tantrum to put it away now.

“Yay!” the tiny crab cheered, and launched himself from the mast right onto Maui’s chest, the thought of Maui  _ not _ catching him never once crossing his young mind. Luckily, Maui was expecting that, and caught him easily. He hoisted Tamatoa up to eye level and grinned. 

“Okay! So what are we gonna play?”

“Treasure!” Tamatoa cheered, waving his claws excitedly. “You be me, and I’ll be a shiny!”

Maui laughed. “Sure thing, kid!” He bent over to set his friend on the deck. “Ready?”

“No!” Tamatoa shouted, suddenly very serious. He pointed up at Maui. “You need to close your eyes first.”

“Oh, alright.” Maui smiled, covering his eyes. “Do I need to count?”

“No!” came the indignant reply. “I’ll  _ call you _ when I’m ready!” Maui heard the sound of little legs tapping on the deck, the sound moving from in front of him around to behind. Next he heard the rustle of rope, followed by a little giggle. “Okay,  _ Tama-toa! _ You come find me!”

Maui uncovered his eyes with a flourish. “Wow! What a beautiful day for some treasure hunting! I, the mighty Tamatoa, will search high and low to find the most precious, most lovely, most shiny piece of treasure on this whole boat!” He heard that little giggle behind him again.

“Hmmm!” he continued, and looked around the deck with exaggerated gestures. “Ah ha! This little grain of sand is quite lovely! But, no, surely there will be something better!” He shaded his eyes, then looked around the boat for inspiration . His eyes caught on his awl, still dangling from the sail. “Ooo! This pokey thing has a nice gleam! But no, too pokey. What else might I find?” He turned to the other side of the canoe, and could see the tip of Tamatoa’s blue spiral shell poking out of the middle of a coil of rope. He stomped lightly as he stepped closer, letting his weight rock the canoe a little bit. “Hmmmm!” The shell tip quivered and he heard a tiny little giggle. He walked past and ignored the muffled chortle. Then he grinned.

“Wow! Look at this whole ocean!” he said with as much awe he could muster. “It is so big, and so blue, and so shiny! Surely this is the greatest treasure of them all! I don’t need to look anymore!”

“What?” came a tiny voice. “No! That’s not-”

But Maui whirled around when he heard the voice, and upon seeing Tamatoa poking his eyes above the rope, he opened his eyes wide and dropped his mouth in feigned shock. “I was mistaken!” he interrupted the protest before it could grow too upset. “The ocean is nothing compared to what I see before me! It’s a sparkly… shiny….” He reached down and plucked Tamatoa up again, and held him high in the air. “It’s the sparkliest and shiniest treasure ever!” He exclaimed, and was rewarded with a great laugh from the little crab. “I will keep it forever!” He shifted his hands a little bit so that he could reach a finger to tickle at the base of Tamatoa’s antennae.

“Hey! No!” he protested through his giggles. “Shinies aren’t ticklish! And I’m a shiny so don’t!”

Maui laughed too, but did stop. “Okay, okay. Are we playing again?”

“Yes!” Tamatoa waved his claws and legs in excitement. “But this time I’ll be me and you be the shiny!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how my daughter plays with her daddy. It's super cute to watch; hopefully I translated that across!
> 
> Also, I'm not even gonna attempt to make an "aging timeline." Tamatoa is roughly the human equivalent of four years old in this chapter.
> 
> Need more cute babycrab? I highly recommend [JadeWolf's](http://www.archiveofourown.com/users/jadewolf/works?fandom_id=12705460) fics!


	2. Bored Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When kids get bored, teach them something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done fighting my italics for now, lol. Hopefully they show up!

“Maui, I’m bored.” Tamatoa’s voice had a distinctly whiny quality to it.

“Go catch some fish or something, little guy.” Maui’s voice had a distinctly lazy quality.

“As if! You just want me to catch dinner for you.”

Maui cracked one eye open and grinned at his small companion. “You _are_ the one always saying how bad of a fisherman I am.”

Tamatoa gave an aggrieved sigh. “You _are_. I don’t know how you manage to not starve.”

Maui chuckled. “Hey, now, fruit doesn’t swim away.”

The look Tamatoa gave him then was decidedly unimpressed. For such a relatively young crab, Maui thought, he sure was good at pretending Maui was the juvenile.

Still, though, Tamatoa _was_ quite young, still using borrowed shells, and it didn’t take long for youthful impatience to rear its head again.

“Maau _uiii!_ C’mon, let’s _do_ something!”

Maui sighed and sat up from his shady spot in the sand. “Aaallllll right, buddy. Alright. What did you have in mind?”

Tamatoa perked up, his antennae sweeping forward excitedly. “Let’s go sailing!”

“No wind today.”

“Oh.” His antennae twitched, and he put a claw to his chin, in what Maui had come to think of as his ‘thinking pose.’ “Let’s explore the island!”

“Again?”

“Maybe we’ll find something new!”

“We’ve climbed all over it twice already.”

This time Tamatoa did seem to deflate, a mighty sigh of his own escaping him. He threw himself over sideways against Maui’s hip, leaning his shoulder and borrowed shell against the demigod. “I don’t _know._ You think of something!”

“Hmmm,” Maui hummed as he thought. What did human kids like to do when they were bored? Swimming was popular, but Tamatoa couldn’t swim. Throwing sticks at each other in various games, but Tamatoa was a bit too small compared to Maui himself for any of that. _Games_ , though; that struck an idea.

“I know!” He put a fist into his open palm in an ‘ah hah!’ gesture. “Let’s play a game!”

“Game?”

“Yeah, we take turns doing stuff, it’s fun!”

Tamatoa stared at him flatly, but didn’t move from his slouch. “I know what a game _is,_ dummy. That was the worst description _ever_ , by the way.”

Maui shrugged. “Whatever. You wanna play or not?”

Tamatoa twitched an antenna in curiosity. “What kind of game?”

“For us,” Maui said with a smile, “a game in two parts. First we need to go find some pretty rocks.”

That definitely perked the young crab up. “All of them?”

“Just two colors. One color for me, another one for you.”

Tamatoa looked mystified, but gamely stood back up and and scuttered off to the edges of the cove, where the tide had deposited many small pebbles. Maui stood too, and after a good stretch, walked down to help his friend.

~~~

“Ok, this is a game called mengamenga. We put our rocks on these squares,” he pointed to the grid of squares marked in the sand, “to make lines, and after we make lines we can move our rocks into this small set of squares in the middle.” He tried to explain the rules simply and without using distinctly human terms, but Tamatoa nodded along throughout. When the crab began to click his pincers in impatience, Maui finally relented and made the first move in demonstration.

That very first game, Maui went easy on Tamatoa, to let the young crab see the game in action and explain anything he hadn’t been clear on earlier. When Tamatoa won and cast him a pleased grin, Maui smiled back and started a new game. This time, he told himself, he would play a little harder.

Tamatoa won the second game as well and congratulated himself with a little dancing twirl in the sand. Maui smiled again, a little less enthusiastically, and decided to play no-holds-barred on the third game.

That game went a little slower. Tamatoa watched Maui’s moves with a discerning eye, and paused to think before he started his turn. Maui was fairly certain he had this game in the bag.

Until Tamatoa trounced him.

The little crab giggled in delight. “This game is fun, Maui!” His small pincers click-clacked happily.

Maui’s returning smile felt a little limp. “Yeah,” he agreed, halfheartedly.

“Want to play again?”

Maui was about to say ‘no,’ but the look of utter happiness and lighthearted joy and, dare he say it, affection for him coming from the crab was more than enough to dispel any lingering negativity. He chuckled lightly and rolled his eyes, clearing the squares and returning the rocks. “Sure, kid,” he agreed.

They spent the rest of the day before dinner playing.

Maui didn’t win a single game.

Tamatoa didn’t shut up about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mengamenga is a game invented by the Maori people. It looks really fun but I've never played. I tried to keep the description simple enough to make sure I didn't say anything completely wrong, but if I did anyway please do let me know!


	3. Joking Around

  


Between adventures, Maui and Tamatoa enjoyed many calm, quiet afternoons sailing from island to island. They would chat, plan ahead, maybe play mengamenga (if Maui was feeling particularly gracious), reminisce, and, of course, tell jokes.

Now, Maui liked jokes. He was a big fan of playing jokes, telling jokes, and even being the butt of the joke, sometimes. He liked to joke around with Tamatoa, and Tamatoa enjoyed that time too.

However, any joke Tamatoa could think of to tell was just _awful_. Especially puns. But the crab was so sincere in thinking they were funny Maui always had to laugh along anyway.

“Ok, Maui! How do you make an octopus laugh?” He beamed up at the demigod with a squiggly little grin, the same one he always got when he was pleased with himself.

“I dunno, how?” Maui asked, hoping his cringe wasn’t showing in his smile.

“With ten-tickles! Heeheehee!”

“Heh!” Maui forced out.

“Why are fish so smart?”

“Why is that?”

“Because they swim in schools!” the crab chortled.

“Yyyyep.”

“Ooo! I’ve _dolphinitely_ got a good one next! How do you keep a fish from smelling?”

“Ummm…?”

“You plug its nose!” And little Tamatoa laughed so hard, then, that his legs gave out and he crashed into the deck beneath him, pounding one pincer into the wood with glee. “It’s funny! Because fish don’t have noses!”

“Tamatoa, you’re not supposed to explain it!”

“But - they _don’t have noses!”_ And he continued giggling helplessly.

Maui rolled his eyes. “Let minnow when you’re done kracken up there, kid.” But, of course, puns like that just made Tamatoa laugh all the harder.

Finally the little guy was able to catch his breath and stand back up, that squiggly grin back across his face. “Ok, another one! What do sea monsters eat?”

Maui raised an eyebrow. “Is that a rhetorical question?”

“Fish and ships!” Tamatoa giggled more, but winked at Maui. “But don’t worry! _I’ll_ never eat _our_ canoe!”

Maui suddenly wondered if he ought to be reassured with a statement like that, or a little worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have shamelessly stolen all jokes here from The Internet.


	4. Splash!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this one takes place in The Moody Tweenie Years.
> 
> (Poor Maui)

“Whatcha’ up to, Tiny?”

Tamatoa scoffed. “M’not tiny.”

Maui smiled slyly. “Are you moping, Tiny?”

“Am not!” he huffed. “And I’m not tiny! I’m bigger than any stupid mortal crab would ever get!”

Maui laughed then. “Touchy! You’re still way smaller than any other giant crab monster I’ve ever seen.”

Tamatoa glared at him, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t move from his lazy position in the sand, either: legs sprawled in all directions, one claw propping his head up under his chin, antennae limp. It was an unusually hot day with no breeze, and while the shade provided some relief it was still miserable for the moody little crab.

Maui moved closer and sat beside him, plopping down into the sand. “You know, nothing is going to happen on this little island. You can take your shell off, if the heat is getting too much.”

Tamatoa glared harder at him, then, but didn’t otherwise move. “Take off my shell? Don’t think so. That’d be like you taking off your skirt.”

Maui shrugged. “Hey, nothing to hide between buddies, right? Besides, my skirt doesn’t turn into an oven like I’m sure your shell there does.”

Tamatoa was still glaring, but grunted what could only be an affirmative.

Maui shrugged, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Ok, ok, shell stays on. How about we go dunk ourselves in the water?”

Tamatoa rolled his eyes. “The water is  _ in the sun _ ,” he said, as if Maui were particularly dense.

“But it’s nice and cool!” Maui countered.

“Ugh,” Tamatoa said, ever the eloquent one. He let his chin slip from his claw and flopped both onto the sand. “Too hot to even  _ get _ there,” he muttered.

That was the wrong thing to say in front of a trickster, no matter how quietly.

“Well, I can fix that!” Maui spoke enthusiastically, jumping back to his feet. Before Tamatoa could even look at him again, Maui swooped down and plucked Tamatoa up with his hands.

“Wha-hey! Stoppit! Maui, put me down right n-!”

And just like that, Maui tossed him into the ocean.

Tamatoa felt the cool liquid rush over his head, and it  _ was _ wonderful relief from the oppressive heat. His antennae were poking into the air, so he could tell he was in very shallow water. His feet were firmly on the sand beneath him, joints bent, and he thought about standing up and making a fuss about being tossed in like that….

...But really, it felt too good. Coolness swirled around his body and into his shell, and he conceded that  _ maybe _ the heat had made him overly cranky towards his friend. Speaking of, as the sand settled he could see the two tattooed legs belonging to Maui standing next to him in the water. Now that he had cooled down, a surge of playfulness welled up in Tamatoa. He darted out a claw and pinched Maui lightly on the big toe. He heard the surprised shout, but before Maui could retaliate in any way he scuttled off. Once well out of grabbing range he turned and poked his head up above the surface, making no effort to hide his sneaky grin.

Maui had followed him with his eyes, his own trickster grin beaming right at Tamatoa as the crab emerged, laughter apparent in his expression. “Oh, is that how it’s going to be, now?” he asked, and splashed at Tamatoa.

“Eek!” Tamatoa shrieked, but it was more of a giggle. He stood up then in order to slam his claws into the water, splashing Maui back. “Ha!”

Maui laughed. “Oh, this means war, Tiny!”

Tamatoa tried not to giggle again. “Bring it on, man!” he challenged.

They spent the rest of that day in the water, splashing and playing and lounging in the shallows, and when they got hungry Tamatoa tried to show Maui how to catch fish without a net, and when Maui was too slow for that he brought some mangoes from the canoe, and by the time the heat broke and night fell, they were both happy and pleasantly tired.

It was a good day.


	5. All Grown Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WATCH ME DO SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT!!!
> 
> Okay, for reals... 
> 
> I believe I mentioned earlier that this little collection of shorts is a prequel-of-sorts to a longer, plot-driven story. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 do A LOT of setting up for that. And they include a lot of original human characters.
> 
> For now, just enjoy the fun and fluff. For later, please just trust me. ;)

 

The day that Tamatoa emerged from a molt with his own carapace hardened and strong, they celebrated. Maui gathered lots of fruit, Tamatoa caught lots of fish (Maui tried to help but Tamatoa told him to shove off, he was scaring the fish away), and they feasted into the night. Tamatoa maybe ate a little too much, the way his stomach bulged later, but he was drowsy and happy, and he flopped himself across Maui’s stomach contentedly, ignoring the half-hearted protests that he was too big for this now, and fell asleep.

The next day, Maui announced that they were going back to their favorite human village for a celebratory surprise. Intrigued, Tamatoa followed the demigod around constantly as he readied their canoe, asking question after question about what it could be. He  _ hoped _ it might be some shiny present, but he doubted Maui would go to the trouble of convincing some humans to part with any treasure.

But Maui wouldn’t answer any of his questions! “You’ll just have to wait and see!” was one answer. “Have patience, big guy!” was another, delivered with a wink. “M’not ruining the surprise this early, buddy!” was truly exasperating. Obviously, if he wanted the surprise unruined, he  _ wouldn’t be asking questions. _

Sailing with Maui on the canoe was a little different now, since he was a little bit bigger and his center of gravity was very different without an extra shell and his tail now tucked neatly beneath his abdomen. But it was a calm day and Maui was much better at sailing than he was at fishing, and it took no time at all for Tamatoa to regain his sea legs.

It took several days and nights of sailing at demigod speeds to reach Maui’s favorite island. Tamatoa had eventually burned out his curiosity, and was instead simply enjoying the spray of the sea and the blow of the wind, but upon finally sighting the island his excitement returned.

“Maui, look, there it is!” he called, pointing with a claw. His antennae were swept up enthusiastically.

“I see it, big guy,” the demigod called back indulgently.

Tamatoa beamed at his new nickname (he had been too impatient with Maui to appreciate it before), and turned back to watch as the island grew bigger and closer on the horizon. Soon he could see the buildings of the human village, and very soon after that he could make out individual humans standing on the shore, waving.

He glanced back at Maui. “How long have we been gone? Do you think they’ll remember me?”

Maui looked thoughtful. “It couldn’t have been more than a decade,” he finally said. “There will be a few new faces, and a few missing ones, but overall yeah, most of the village will remember you. They’re gonna be so surprised to see how big you’ve grown!”

Tamatoa smiled back at him? “Really?”

“Of course!”

~~~

The people of the village were ecstatic, actually, but mostly to have Maui back among them. Most of the older ones did indeed compliment Tamatoa on his growth, but they were more interested in hearing stories of their recent adventures. Tamatoa tried not to sulk about that, but was thankful each and every time Maui steered the conversation back towards him.

“We’ll be happy to tell you all the stories you want later,” he said, appeasing some of the bystanders, as Tamatoa stood beside (and ever-so-slightly behind) him. “But this is a big occasion for Tamatoa, and we need to celebrate properly! Where’s Chief Ku’ika?”

But even as he spoke, a tall figure was making its way through the crowd toward them. “Well, well, well,” Chief Ku’ika spoke, voice overly flat to cover the joviality. “Maui the demigod, back again. You haven’t aged a day, and here I am ten years older!” Then he looked down at Tamatoa, and smiled. “Ah, and young Tamatoa! I don’t know, there does seem something different about you…” He put his fists on his hips and cocked his head.

Tamatoa laughed. “Yeah, look! I’ve got my own shell now!” He reached back and knocked against it with a pincer.

“That’s right, Chief!” Maui butted in, elbowing Ku’ika in the ribs. “Our little crab has become a man! We’re back home to celebrate his coming of age!”

It seemed like, finally, those were the words that needed to be said, and to the right person. “Coming of age?” the chief repeated, amusement and excitement lighting up his expression. “Well, why didn’t you say so right away? Haha, Tamatoa, you are in for quite the treat this evening!” He smiled widely.

Tamatoa blinked at him, then looked back up to Maui questioningly. Maui only matched the chief’s smile before saying, in a sing-song voice, “You’ll see!”

~~~

The ‘treat’ turned out to be a feast attended by all of the warriors of the village, as well as many (if not most) of everyone else, except for the children and those looking after them. Tamatoa was given the place of honor, Maui on one side and the chief on the other. He felt a bit awkward, being the only crab there, but the humans seemed to be paying no mind to the difference in species.

Besides, once the food was laid out, he had other things to preoccupy his mind. Heaps upon heaps of fish and meat and fruit were laid out, and Tamatoa realized that they were the dishes he had enjoyed the most last time he and Maui had been here. Had the humans of the village remembered after all this time? He hadn’t left Maui’s side since arriving, and he was pretty sure he would have noticed that conversation….

“Tell us of your feats of passage!” one of the warriors called from nearby, his voice rising above the chatter of the gathering. This was taken up as a cheer by the crowd.

Tamatoa paused halfway in bringing a fish up to his mouth. He blinked at the crowd, then glanced sidelong at Maui. “Umm, well….”

Maui jumped in to rescue him. “Good friends! We thank you so much for hosting us this fine evening on your beautiful island! This feast you have prepared is better than any we have seen before!” Tamatoa wasn’t entirely sure about the accuracy of that point, but the crowd cheered again. When they quieted enough, Maui continued. “As you know, our friend Tamatoa has come of age!” More cheering. “However….” And now the crowd went quiet, the tint of confusion hanging in the air. “It works differently for giant crabs, you know? He will prove his battle prowess soon enough,”-wait, was he supposed to do that? - “but on this day he has left his youth behind him and wears the mark of an adult!” Maui cheered then, and quickly the crowd took it up as well, but Tamatoa mostly felt a little embarrassed. So, a feast in honor of his naturally aging? That was a thing? He wasn’t too sure, and just held his fish uncertainly, looking around at everyone. They all seemed happy, though, so, it must be?

As he looked, he noticed a group of female humans standing in the back of the crowd, the oldest few of which were nodding at him approvingly. One of them, her hair beginning to streak with grey, caught his eye and smiled widely, then pantomimed eating with both hands. He looked down at the fish in his pincers, then back up at her. She nodded, still smiling. Finally, finally, he took a bite -  _ wow _ was that delicious! - and when he looked back to her again there was a distinct expression of pride on her face. He smiled at her, still chewing, and she laughed in delight.

From there the feast went more smoothly. He talked with everyone who came by to congratulate him, he stuffed his face with delicious food, helped Maui tell stories and joined in on singing songs that he knew. It was a lot of fun, and he decided it really had been a nice surprise from Maui.

The evening eventually wound down, however, and several guests made toasts to Tamatoa’s health before excusing themselves. He was just starting to wonder if he’d have to wait through  _ every single human there _ saying something nice about him, when the group of women from earlier brought out small bowls and large coconut husk flasks, distributing them among the crowd. In front of Tamatoa the same woman who had encouraged him to eat placed a bowl rather larger and more ornate than the others, as well as the largest flask. She smiled kindly, if knowingly, then stepped away.

He looked to Maui, trying not to betray his confusion; but Maui, of course, could read him like a painting. Smirking, the demigod reached over to the the flask, twisted off some sort of lid, and poured a clear liquid into the bowl. “Here you go, big guy! Your first taste of okolehao! The drink of warriors!” He shouted that last to the crowd, and they all cheered back at him, but their eyes were fixed on Tamatoa. He looked to them, then down at the bowl, then carefully picked it up with one claw. Drink, was it? Then he’d drink it, sure.

The first sensation was a sweetness on his tongue, followed by what almost felt like a dry burn as it slid down his throat.

It was delicious!

“Wow!” he exclaimed.

The crowd cheered again, and began filling their own cups with the drink. Maui laughed, and poured again for Tamatoa, filling his own and the chief’s as well. He drank again. It was even better than before! Maui poured again, and Tamatoa drank again, and laughed.

Maui was such a great friend, he thought.


	6. The Next Day...

Maui was a _horrible_ friend, he thought.

Tamatoa was nestled into a pile of sleeping mats that had been dragged into the wharenui, cradling his head between his claws, trying not to whimper at the ache that hovered between his eyes. Maui was on the floor right outside the nest of mats, asleep - _passed out_ \- and snoring. The noise grated on Tamatoa, but getting up would be _worse_ , so he just laid there and accepted his folly and vowed to _never_ drink that stuff again. His head throbbed, and he groaned.

“Tamatoa?” a soft voice asked. He opened one eye and peeped it over the lip of his nest. The kindly older woman from last night stood there, holding a small bowl and coconut husk flask.

“Ooohh, no,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I’ve had quite enough of _that_ , thank you very much.”

She chuckled, and stepped over Maui to kneel beside his nest. “This is only coconut water, mixed with fresh water from the waterfall. It will ease the pain.”

“Yeah?” he asked, hopeful.

She nodded, poured into the small bowl and handed it to him. He carefully took it, squinting in concentration, and drank it down.

“Keep in mind,” she continued, “that this only _helps_ , and only if you drink all of it. There is no cure on this island for what you’re going through.”

“Well, better than nothing,” Tamatoa grumbled, but held out his bowl in a silent request for more.

She wasn’t wrong; by the time Tamatoa had drunk all of the mixed coconut water, he felt a fair bit better than he had upon waking. He managed to look at the woman with both eyes. “Thank you. I never caught your name?”

“Kaona,” she answered, smiling.

His antennae perked up. “Kaona?” He looked at her closely. “I remember you from last time!” His excitement bubbled up despite the lingering ache in his head. “You made me a flower necklace! I mean, lots of people did, but yours was the best. I kept it for a long time, you know, I kept it safe, but eventually the flowers just fell apart.” He frowned at the memory, then looked back to her. “You’ve changed a bit.”

She shrugged, then laughed. “So have you! More than a bit, really.”

He grinned at the praise. “Thanks! My shell is strong now,” he reached a claw back to knock against it. “I don’t need to hide in a seashell anymore!”

“All grown up!” Kaona quipped with a smile, and Tamatoa’s grin grew bigger.

Just then, Maui groaned from the floor. “Please stop talking,” he croaked out.

Tamatoa stuck his tongue out, and Kaona tsked. “ _You_ , young man, were well aware what would happen after drinking so much. Tamatoa was not. Therefore he receives my mercy, and you my scorn.” Despite the harsh words, Tamatoa could see a tilt to her lips and a crinkling around her eyes.

“We were celebrating!” At least, that’s what Tamatoa thought his friend had muttered.

“A bit too much, I think,” she replied primly. She looked back to Tamatoa. “I should leave you to your recovery. But before I go, I wanted to give you this. It should last a fair bit longer than the flowers from last time.” She winked, and held out her hand. In her palm was a pearl.

“Wow!” Tamatoa breathed. He started reaching for it, then paused. “Really? For me?” She nodded. “Thank you!” Tamatoa gave her his best grin, and she grinned right back.

“Anything for my aumakua!” she said with a laugh.

Then she stood before Tamatoa could ask what that was, stepped over Maui again, and waved on her way out.

“She likes me more than you,” Tamatoa gloated, admiring his shiny gift.

Maui just groaned again.

~~~

Eventually Tamatoa felt well enough to wander outside the whare. It was well past noon and he was quite hungry, so food was his top priority. He was greeted warmly by the women out tending to their various tasks, and the children either stared or waved shyly. He did not see many young men, and guessed that, like Maui, they were still sleeping off the effects of their celebrations last night. He smirked to himself and silently thanked Kaona again.

Suddenly a boy about his own height ran up to him. “Tamatoa!” he called. “Would you like a mango?” He held said fruit out in offering.

Tamatoa smiled at him and took the mango. “Thank you!” He stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, making the boy laugh.

“You're supposed to spit out the pit!” he said, a little awed. He got over it quickly. “My name is Poto!” the boy continued, thumping his chest. “My mother’s mother is Kaona and she told me all about you! I was a baby last time you were here, but now I am much bigger and will be a man too, soon!” He beamed in pride, and Tamatoa couldn’t help but grin back at him. Poto leaned in conspiratorially. “I will be a man sooner than the other boys, because my father is the chief’s older brother but my cousins are girls who are too young to hold a spear, so the chief himself trains me!”

“That’s great, Poto!” Tamatoa enthused. “Hey, you have any more of those mangoes? Or maybe some fish?”

Poto laughed. “Sure, come on!” He led Tamatoa to the chief’s own fale and began rooting through the fruit baskets as if he owned the place. The chief, upright but with his eyes closed and head resting in his hand, barely opened his eyes to glance at them as they entered, so he must not have minded. The chief’s daughters were playing some sort of hand-clapping game on the other side of the fale, but they quieted when Tamatoa entered.

“Poto!” The voice was soft but scolding, and Tamatoa looked over to see the chief’s wife coming in from the other side. “You are not bothering Tamatoa, are you?”

“Of course not, Whaea! He was asking for more food!” Poto defended himself.

The woman - her name was Auntie? That was odd - smiled at him then. “I am glad you are feeling well after last night, Tamatoa. Please feel free to eat what you need, but keep in mind we will be having dinner before too long, and it would be a shame to spoil your appetite.” With that she left the two of them to their snacking, and took a familiar coconut flask to her husband.

Before long Tamatoa was satisfied with a full stomach, and the chief had managed to stand and walk long enough to come sit beside the two of them. “I am glad to see you recovered so well from our celebrations last night, Tamatoa,” he spoke. “I take it Maui cannot say the same?”

Tamatoa chortled, just a little bit. “No way! He couldn’t even open his eyes. He’ll be useless until morning.”

The chief chuckled. “Such is the price we men must pay. Do you remember much of last night?”

Tamatoa paused thinking. “Actually, no? I remember the food was good and a few people left and then that drink came out, and it was good but made me dizzy but Maui kept giving me more. That’s all really.”

The chief nodded. “Yes, many people lose memories of the time when they partake of okolehao.” Then he winked at Tamatoa, bleary as it was. “But I remember! Maui challenged you to several games of mengamenga, saying he would finally defeat you. But you still won every single game. A few other warriors challenged you as well, but they soon decided you were unbeatable!” He moved his hands up in a celebratory gesture, though his movements were a bit slow still.

Tamatoa laughed. “I’m _so_ going to rub that in Maui’s face. He thinks he’s the best at everything.” The chief and Poto laughed with him.

They enjoyed a moment of quiet before Tamatoa voiced a question he’d been keeping in mind. “Say, Chief? Can you tell me what an aumakua is?”

Ku’ika squinted at him. “Where did you hear that word?”

“It’s not bad, is it?” he asked, a little taken aback by the chief’s reaction.

“Well, not really, no. It’s… a mortal thing, I suppose, and it might sound silly to you. An aumakua is a totem spirit or ancestor that protects and watches over a family. These spirits usually take the forms of, ah… creatures that are not humans.”

Tamatoa pursed his lips. “You can say ‘animals,’ I won’t be offended.”

Ku’ika laughed weakly, pressing his fingers into the center of his forehead, closing his eyes. “An aumakua can be an animal, sure, but also a plant or rock or anything, really. They give us signs, telling us good fortune is on the way, or warning us to prepare for something bad. Some villagers believe in them more than others.” He shrugged, trailing off, and opened his eyes in a squint again. “Did you hear Pala going on about her great-grandfather again?”

“Er, no.” Tamatoa shrugged. “Just another word I didn’t know. Thanks, Chief.” But his mind was working away at this problem. Kaona had called _him_ her aumakua, so… he was her family’s protector? He didn’t dislike the idea, he realized. His own personal set of people sounded pretty neat. Did that include Poto, since he was Kaona’s grandson? He looked over at the boy, but Poto hadn’t said or done anything noteworthy.

He’d have to ask Kaona about it, he decided. He’d find her again later.

“Alright, Poto, Tamatoa. The energy of youth is wasted in here! Go find more children, play some rakau. We will consider it your training for today,” he added, directed at Poto.

“Yes Chief!” the boy said happily. “Come on, Tamatoa!”

~~~

Tamatoa had been gone for several hours now, and Maui was just starting to feel like his usual demigodly self. He was sitting up, anyway, and his eyes were open, so he considered it a win. He could hear laughter and shouting from the center of the village, but it wasn’t making his head hurt any _worse_ , so that was a bonus. Every once in a while, above the human voices, he could make out Tamatoa’s excited laughter; it made Maui smile.

Eventually he took a deep breath and stood up. His head twinged but it at least wasn’t a full-on throb. He wandered out, snagged a coconut and broke it open on his knee, then meandered around to the village center while snacking.

There he found a large group of youngsters tossing sticks back and forth. It looked to be a version of poi rakau, he thought. He took a bite of coconut as his eyes fell on Tamatoa in the center. The crab had a wild grin on his face as he caught and tossed the sticks out to the ring of children around him, his antennae twitching and claws flashing. It was hard to be sure, but Maui counted four sticks in play.

Impressive.

He felt a touch on his shoulder, then, and turned to see the bleary-eyed face of Ku’ika. The chief threw a tired smile at him, then nodded out to the group.

“It seems our Tamatoa may soon be ready for our version of a rite of passage,” he said. “Poto only taught him this game a few hours ago, and he is already as skilled as the young men ready for their first pe'a tattoo. Has he had any war training before?”

Maui swallowed. The thoughts of his still-actually-quite-young-and-small friend and _war_ were dissonant in his mind, no matter his appeasing comments from the night before. He shook his head, glancing back at the chief.

“Not like this, no. We play mengamenga, he helps with sailing, sometimes he can tag along if I need to fight off a monster. Nothing that would be anything like this.” He shrugged.

“Well, his reflexes are incredibly well-developed. He will make a fine warrior one day.”

Maui made a bit of a face, glad that he was facing away from the chief now so he couldn’t see it. His little crab buddy might be grown-up enough for his own shell, sure, but _fighting?_

Hmmmm.

“Here, hold my coconut,” he muttered, shoving what was left of his food over onto the chief’s chest. Behind the ring of children was a pile of sticks; he picked one up then squeezed himself into the ring. Without drawing any attention to himself, he tossed it vertically toward the center.

Tamatoa whirled and caught it. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was off again to someone else in the ring. Tamatoa met Maui’s eyes in that moment, a fierce pride radiating out from his expression, and he laughed. Then he was back to the game.

Several of the children groaned when they realized Tamatoa was handling five sticks now without a problem. Many of those left the ring to sit down. Poto, Maui, and plenty more stayed and enjoyed the show.

Tamatoa only stopped when the chief’s wife came out to announce they were invited to dinner, and that it was ready. Two sticks clutched in one claw, three in the other, he called a glib halt to the game and marched out of the circle. There were more lighthearted groans of disappointment from the remaining children, but they dispersed nonetheless, and Maui grinned to find his friend amicably chatting up their hostess.

The chief caught his attention again, raising an eyebrow. “Do you think he might be ready for his own pe'a?” he asked.

Maui laughed. “Maybe next time, Chief. I don’t want him growing up _too_ fast!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this seems like a great place to point out that I'm drawing from _several_ Pacific Island traditions to create this little village. Also, messing with anachronisms. So, yeah, I am WELL AWARE of many inaccuracies, and I apologize for intentionally making them, but at the same time "not sorry" because I wanted to make a place that was very much blended and very much fantasy.
> 
> AAALLLSSSOOOOO I'll explain the aumakua thing next chapter but it's not actually written yet! Sorry!


	7. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Tamatoa listens to a story, and finds out what an 'aumakua' is.

Tamatoa liked this village. The people here were _always_ friendly to him, unlike the other villages he and Maui would visit while out adventuring. Especially after he’d grown larger than the stupid little surface crabs ever got, most humans had been wary of him at best.

At worst, they had driven him and Maui off the island.

But here! Here it was like the people… just didn’t care. They helped him do things if he asked, and likewise were unafraid to ask him for help, especially with fishing. They had always seemed an odd sort, though. The more he travelled with Maui, the more he recognized certain things in different areas, but here they all just came together.

Odd, but nice. Nice, and comfortable.

Many days had passed since the feast and Tamatoa’s first taste of alcohol. He was still thinking up how he would get his revenge on Maui. Nothing seemed particularly good enough yet, not even loosening the knot on his wrap while he was sleeping and just waiting for it to fall down in front of all the villagers. Funny, yes, but not nearly mean enough.

He also hadn’t managed to find Kaona again, to ask about the aumakua thing. Thanks to Chief Ku’ika, Tamatoa could guess what she had meant, but he wanted to know _why_. Why him?

There were a lot of huts and fale houses in the village, and Tamatoa knew better than to go poking his head into each and every one to find Kaona. But he _did_ have a standing invitation at Chief Ku’ika’s home, and the chief’s wife knew everybody. She would be able to help Tamatoa, he was sure of it.

And, with nothing better to do right then, it was the perfect time to go.

Approaching the fale, he peeked between some hanging mats and saw the chief’s wife sorting through some baskets inside. He knocked his claw on a post, announcing his presence. “Excuse me, um… Whaea?”

She had looked up at the knock, then laughed as he addressed her. “ _Whaea_ is just what Poto calls me when he wants something. You can call me Lola. What can I do for you, Tamatoa?”

Tamatoa blinked as he entered. “Lola? That’s kind of an odd name.” It occurred to him, _after_ he finished speaking, that that had been sort of a rude thing to say.

Luckily, she laughed it off. “My parents weren’t from around here, and Lola is short for a much longer name that’s hard for everybody to pronounce.” She smiled kindly, and sat back on her heels. “Don’t worry about it! But I’m sure that’s not what you’re here for.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. It looked a lot like when Maui did it.

“I’ve been looking for Kaona,” he began, fiddling his claws. “I’ve been wanting to ask her something since the day after the feast, but I haven’t been able to find her!”

Lola nodded. “Yes, I imagine so. She lives a little ways out of the village, alone since her children have grown and married. She is a… a little bit of an eccentric, but she has brought a lot of knowledge to our people over the years. Would you like me to show you the way?”

Tamatoa shook his head. “That’s alright, you look busy anyway. I’m good at following directions!” He gave her his most charming grin.

She laughed at his expression. “Are you, now? I’ve heard Maui say otherwise.” She winked at him, and continued before he could protest. “Go down to the beach and turn north. One of our coconut groves stretches all the way to the beach, turn back inland before you go through it. There’s a path, it leads right there.”

“Thank you Lola!” He grinned and waved as he left, too excited to find Kaona to stay and correct his reputation that had been so maligned by Maui.

~~~~

The little hut next to the coconut grove was in better condition than Tamatoa would have expected from an older human living alone. It had not taken him long to find, and now that he was here he realized that he hadn’t really thought about what he was going to ask. Hey, Kaona, why did you say I’m your aumakua? Do you mean the same thing the Chief told me about? What’s the deal?

“Tamatoa? Well, I’ll be! About time you found your way out here!”

Well, so much for having time to think about it.

“Hi, Kaona!” he called, and made his way closer as she stepped out into the sand. “Listen, so, uh…”

“You’ve come to ask me about what we spoke of earlier, haven’t you?” She smiled serenely as she walked into the coconut grove and sat down in the shade.

“Chief told me what an aumakua is,” Tamatoa answered, following her. He settled down to the ground in front of her. “But how am I one of those?”

“Hmmm.” She smiled as she hummed. “Let me tell you a story. We’ll connect the dots later.”

Tamatoa quirked an eye at her, uncertain, but nodded anyway. “Okay.”

Kaona settled back, leaning against a tree, and began.

~~~~

Long ago, a man whose name has been lost to the ages lived in a large village on a large island. He was the best fisherman in the village, and fed his family well. He could have been a wealthy, powerful man, but he was kind instead and shared his skills and supplies with anyone who needed them.

One day he was alone on his boat, hauling in nets, when he noticed that among the many fish he had captured was a crab. He had just begun to count himself lucky when the crab began to speak to him.

_“A talking crab! Like me!”_

_“Yes, now listen….”_

“Oh, fisherman!” the crab cried. “I plead that you release me! In return I will grant you a boon!”

The fisherman, of course, was surprised to hear a crab talking to him, and immediately cut it free from the net.

“That you speak to me is boon enough!” the fisherman replied, his great kindness coming forth. “No fish has ever so spoken to me, nor any crab before this day. I would not capture such a creature.”

“If you will not ask, I will grant you an even greater promise instead!” The crab pointed into the water, and the fisherman leaned over to look. “Look here to the bottom of the sea. You will find a pearl in the sand, the size of your eye, and with it you will see the future!”

“The future!” the fisherman replied, astonished. “That is too much. I am only a fisherman. What use would the future be to me?”

The crab insisted. “You could see great storms coming and know to stay safe on your island. You could know when and where the fish will swim to ensure a bountiful catch. There are many great things held for you in the future.”

Finally, the fisherman was convinced. He released the crab into the water, and it swam quickly away.

_“I can’t swim though.”_

_“I suspect this one couldn’t either, but this is how the story goes.”_

_’’But if the story isn’t all true, then how-?”_

_“Hush, Tamatoa! Listen.”_

The fisherman dove into the water and swam straight down. The crab had spoken truthfully, and a large white pearl, the size of the fisherman’s eye, lay resting there in the sand. He picked it up and returned to his boat.

The fisherman sat in his boat and inspected his gift. It was a beautiful pearl, and large, but he could find nothing about it to show him the future. He held it up to his face, looking closely, and brought it closer to his left eye. Without realizing he had brought it so close, he touched the pearl to his eye, and in an instant it vanished!

At first, the fisherman was stunned with disbelief. Was the pearl a trick? But then he realized that his vision was different. He closed his eyes and saw nothing. He opened his right eye, and saw his boat before him. He closed the right and opened the left, and was surprised to find himself at home, in the evening, eating dinner with his wife and children!

When he looked with both eyes again, he saw the boat around him once more. Then he understood: the pearl had entered his left eye, and through it he could indeed see the future!

He used the power of the eye to finish fishing quickly, and returned home to tell his wife the great news. She was overjoyed, thinking of all the good he could do for their family and their village.

_“And indeed, the fisherman became a hero! There are many stories of his adventures, but we will save them for another day.”_

_“Aww, do we have to?”_

_“They’re not going to help answer your question.”_

_“Oh, fine then.”_

Many years of prosperity passed for the fisherman and his village. The people were well-fed and happy, even moreso than before. The people of the village had already liked and respected him, but now the only reason he was not made chief was because he refused the title. He loved his life as a fisherman.

One morning, he sat outside his hut looking through his left eye, as he did every morning, but he did not see the things he had grown accustomed to. There were no storms of wind and rain, but storms of rage. He saw himself arguing with his wife before striking her. Frightened, he sailed out to sea and did not return until the next day. The next time he looked through his pearl eye, everything was again calm, and life continued. But visions of violence and danger with him at the center continued to plague the fisherman, and each time he set sail to avoid it.

Until one day, it was not himself he saw striking his wife. It was a man he did not recognize, wearing unfamiliar clothes, speaking foreign words. The fisherman knew that this was something he could act upon for good, so that day he stayed home, warned his wife, and together they warned the village that an intruder was coming. And, indeed, before the sun had reached its peak in the sky, a great many canoes were sighted on the ocean. When they landed, the voyagers aboard were horrible; rough, and demanding, and imperious. The fisherman did not know their language but tried to speak with them anyway, tried to discover what it was they wanted and how they could settle on good terms. But one of the voyagers grew angry, and struck the fisherman’s wife.

Until that time, the fisherman had always been able to avoid or lessen the ill fortune he had seen in his pearl eye. Now, as his vision became truth, he grew angry. He struck the man who had attacked his wife, and they fought. The fisherman lost all sense of reason, and instead fought viciously every invader who approached.

Eventually, the rage left him. Sense and reason returned. He opened both eyes, and saw the beach strewn with the bodies of the men he had slain. He turned, and saw his wife and villagers all staring at him in shock. A great wave of shame crashed upon his shoulders as he realized he had slaughtered so many. He had avoided violence for so long that the echoes of what should have been grew stronger, until they overwhelmed him. In that moment, he swore to never use the sight of the pearl again. He drew a knife and removed the eye from his head. The fisherman then walked out to sea, and as the water closed over his head, the shadow of a crab replaced the shadow of his body. The fisherman was never seen nor heard from again.

~~~~

Tamatoa was silent as he absorbed this story. Kaona was silent as she waited for him.

“That turned out to be a lot more depressing than I thought it was going to be,” he finally remarked, fiddling with his claws again. That was becoming a habit; he took a breath and stilled them.

Kaona nodded. “It is a sad truth that many great people have ignominious endings.” She smiled, then. “But not all.”

Tamatoa glanced down, then back up to her face. “So, I still don’t understand.”

“That fisherman was my ancestor,” Kaona replied. “His children were there at that beach and watched their father lose himself to anger, then to the sea. When we tell his stories now, he is called “Grandfather,” though he lived many, many generations ago.”

Tamatoa processed that, putting it together with what he had learned from Chief Ku’ika. “And…” he drew the word out. “You think I’m… him?”

Kaona smiled softly, then shook her head. “No, Tamatoa, I believe you are yourself.” Tamatoa felt a swift, unexpected relief at that, but she continued. “Maybe, _maybe_ , Grandfather lived as a crab below the sea and began a new family, and you are my long lost uncle or cousin.” She winked. “But more, I think the gods brought you to me as we begin an era of change.”

She broke eye contact with Tamatoa and looked out to the distant sea, half hidden behind the coconut grove. “There are whispers in the wind, carried by the ocean, that not everyone can hear. I am not Grandfather, and cannot tell exactly what is going to happen. Even if I could, I’m not sure I would want to.”

Kaona looked back to him, then. “Tamatoa, the first day I heard those whispers was the same day that Maui first brought you here, years and years ago. And each of your visits since has been accompanied by a great boon to my family; my father recovered his health, my daughter married. These things may be coincidence, of course,” she waved off a protest as he opened his mouth, “but they are meaningful to me and my family nonetheless. But perhaps more important is your eye.”

Tamatoa blinked, confused for a moment, but then it clicked. Oh, he thought, reaching his pincer up to nudge at his left eyestalk. That? He had seen his reflection enough times to know that pupil was larger than the other, but hadn’t really thought much of it.

“Huh,” he commented. He really wasn’t sure what to think.

Kaona reached out and patted his claw that still rested on the ground. “Tamatoa, I do not want you to feel that you are responsible for or beholden to my family, especially not because of what I have said. But please realize that you _are_ part of our family now. We all love you, care for you, and will support you, and hope that you will return the sentiment.”

“I… thank you. But you called me your aumakua, and that is a protector. So what are you really saying?”

She sighed, and looked again past him to the sea. “Those whispers on the wind have been unsettling lately. I don’t know what’s going to happen, or when. You are strong, Tamatoa, and will grow stronger. With Maui by your side, I do believe you may be invincible. It is my hope that you will always remember us fondly in your heart, and aid us when the time comes.”

Tamatoa was taken aback. Flattered, a little, but mostly dumbfounded. Everything Kaona had said… it was a lot to take in. It was a lot to think about. He didn’t even know how he felt about having a human call him family in one breath, then beg his protection in the next, as one would ask a god for intervention. He might live much longer than humans did, but he knew he certainly wasn’t a god.

“Tamatoa,” she called, and broke into his thoughts. “I see that this is a lot for you. Perhaps I told you all of this too soon, but you are an adult, now, and I do not know if I will still be here the next time you and Maui return. Forgive me for laying this at your feet. Forget it all, for now. If you ever have need of this story again, you can recall it then.” She leaned forward, then, and pulled him into a hongi, resting her forehead against his own, between his eyestalks. He blinked in surprise. He had seen humans engage in this tradition together, but this was the first time a human had offered it to him.

It was nice.

All too soon, though, Kaona pulled back. “Go back to the village now,” she said with a smile. “Find Poto, beat him at another game. He needs to learn humility!”

Tamatoa smiled back, though it still had an edge of strain to it. He nodded, stood, and turned to go. But before he could take a step, another thought crossed his mind.

“Kaona?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. “That pearl you gave me. That isn’t…?”

She laughed. “Oh, no! Don’t worry, that was just a particularly pretty one I found a few weeks ago. I hadn’t yet decided what to do with it.”

Relief slid across him like cold water dousing over his shell. It was pretty, but he didn’t think he could keep it if it used to be some guy’s eyeball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally picking this up again!
> 
>  _This_ chapter is the one that really needs to be read before Send Your Armies. The rest contribute, but this is the setup.
> 
> So, consider yourselves warned.


	8. Say What Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not _everything_ comes easy. Some things need practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So [this is an actual place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu) as well as a memory game. Sounds like fun, yeah?

“Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu!”

Maui watched from the shade of a nearby fale as the children ran about screeching and laughing, trying to dodge getting tagged. He also kept an eye on Tamatoa, who was sitting on the sidelines observing the game.

The tagging finished and the teams switched, but Tamatoa didn’t get up. Maui wasn’t entirely sure why, and as he couldn’t see his friend’s face he couldn’t judge by expression. He watched another round of it, and watched as Tamatoa sat idle, then finally decided to step up and find out what the crab was doing.

“So why aren’t you out there playing with them?” he asked, settling down beside Tamatoa.

Tamatoa glanced at him by turning a single eye, then shrugged. “It’s a kids game. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Uh huh. Maui raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t stop you from playing rakau with them.”

Tamatoa waved a claw in dismissal. “That’s different. That’s warrior training! Poto and the chief said so.”

“And you don’t think this game counts?” Maui asked, nudging Tamatoa with his elbow.

“I don’t see how.” Tamatoa muttered.

Maui really looked at Tamatoa then, seeing the impatience hidden behind feigned boredom, the frustration lurking in his eyes. Then, he couldn’t help a smile, stifling a laugh.

“Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is a really long word to say, isn’t it?”

Tamatoa whipped his head around to look at him, dismay crossing his expressive face. “Not you too!”

Maui couldn’t stop his laugh then. “In all fairness, buddy, these kids have practiced that name for _years_ , but I never thought to teach it to you. Can’t expect yourself to pick up new things right away!”

But as he said it, Maui realized what the problem was: Tamatoa _did_ learn new things right away. Mengamenga, rakau - both were games that he had learned and mastered in ridiculously short amounts of time. The crab was an instinctually good fisher, naturally fast and agile, and surprisingly perceptive. It must be grating to finally encounter something that he couldn’t just _do_ right away.

Tamatoa’s lower lip poked out in a bit of a pout. “Yeah, I guess,” he grumbled.

“Hey, I can help you learn it!” Maui offered cheerfully. “We’ll break it down into smaller pieces; that’s how I learned it.”

Tamatoa looked a little hesitant, but nodded. “Okay, sure.”

“Great!” Maui smiled. “First part goes ‘Taumatawhakatangihanga.’”

Tamatoa just stared at him, eyes wide.

Oh no, this was too much. Maui fought desperately not to chortle. “Slower, yeah?” He almost choked.

Tamatoa’s wide-eyed look had narrowed into a glare, having picked up on Maui’s amusement. “Nevermind,” he huffed, looking back to the game.

“Aww, now, don’t be like that,” Maui countered, rubbing his elbow into Tamatoa’s shell. “Try this part, ‘Tau-ma-ta.’”

Tamatoa held his narrow-eyed gaze for a few moments longer, but finally relented. “Tau-mata.”

“Wha-ka.”

“Whaka.”

“Tangi.”

“Tangi.”

“Hanga!”

“Hanga.”

“Great!” Maui enthused. “Now put those all together. Taumatawhakatangihanga.”

“Uh,” and Tamatoa’s cross expression dissolved again into uncertainty. His eyes looked skyward, trying to pull it all together in his head. “Tamatoa-whak-uh-Maui-hangi?”

Don’t laugh, Maui thought. Oh, gods above and below, don’t laugh.

He snorted instead.

Instantly Tamatoa was glaring at him again, and this time real irritation was beginning to seep in. “Ugh!” he declared, then stood up and began walking away. “Whatever. _You_ play the game, then. Besides, I’m hungry.”

“Aww, Tamatoa, c’mon buddy….” But his words went unheeded as his friend stalked away.

Maui looked after him, but could tell the crab wanted to be alone. Then he watched the game again, and decided to join in. Why not?

~~~

Ah, finally to be sailing again! It had been nice to spend time on his island, but only for so long, and the call of the sea could not be ignored forever. Maui and Tamatoa had spent several days preparing for the trip and saying goodbyes, knowing it would be years, if not longer, before they returned. Even so, prolonged life on the island just wasn’t for them, especially now that Tamatoa was old enough and large enough to take on more responsibility with the boat and their adventures. Maui was excited to see what kind of a hero the crab would turn out to be.

“So, whatcha’ think, buddy? Where should we go first?”

Tamatoa put his claw to his chin, in that classic thinking pose, but something about his expression was a little off. Maui was just about to ask when Tamatoa answered.

“How about Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu?”

The proud smile Tamatoa shot him was almost enough to make Maui stop gaping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the games that Tamatoa plays within this series, I learned about from this [wonderful PDF.](http://www.hop.org.nz/rangatahi/maori-games.pdf)  
> It has been very enlightening and I'm sure I'll be referencing it again!
> 
> This chapter, I more-or-less broke the word up into pieces that were manageable for _me_ , especially as I had limited luck (read: none) figuring out which syllables were meant to be each word. It felt like any three syllables in a row made a word, but not usually a word that felt like it belonged in the translation. So, my apologies. But I did try.


End file.
